When a Deal is Not Always a Deal

Maybe the Chinese haggling approach is feminine, let's call it that for the sake of argument. And what if I characterized this approach as actually grittier? What if I called it tougher than "a deal's a deal." Of course, a "deal's a deal" is steely and unwavering. It is classically masculine in that it doesn't budge. It doesn't suffer fools. You can take it or leave it. You "fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me." You just don't bargain with a man 'cos to "nickel and dime" him presupposes he hasn't entered discussions with full and utmost candor.

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How Masculine is Donald Trump?

The Alpha male is a go-to template for masculinity. Trump has appeal because he plays this Alpha male card very well. Americans love the guy who "tells it like it is," even if that means they find the content of what is being said to be utterly reprehensible. 

But how do we define masculinity? If we say masculinity is defined as an aggressive, strategic but non-contemplative, pro-action bias, O.K., fine. That is a definition that seems to make sense. And that is very Trump. The more bombastic Trump is the better he polls. People mistake this for Trump showing his ability to never be a supplicant to Washington and special interests, they mistake that for authenticity. But alas the trap with maintaining an Alpha male persona is sometimes you need to be seen as so impetuous and unreflective that you become a caricature of yourself, over-simplifying complex problems, over-suppressing doubts and over-muzzling healthy, normal, erstwhile "masculine," deliberations and ruminations.  

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Identity Through a Yiddish Lens

Seems like all over the world identity politics exist for the rude thrills of identity politics. Identity is decoupled from need. And identity politics is tedious because the identities being politicked are voluntary ones, they can too easily be changed. Today we can instantly join digital ranks and summarily denounce Cecil Rhodes. There is a mismatch because Cecil Rhodes had way fewer options than we do today. So if we judge Cecil Rhodes, shouldn't we simply begin our interrogation considering he very well may have needed to be such and such a person, with such and such constraints, for he lived in such and such a time? Is that not a practical question? There are universal virtues, maybe, but surely identity changes over time.

You can't help but read Yiddishkeit and get a notion that everything about Yiddish was in a word practical. 

Yes, I too like practical identity. I'm always biased to valuing higher positive actions

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The Ultimate Blue Devil (among many other things)

"Your father took my dad and me on a tour of Duke University in 1997. As a mostly typical teenager I was partially engaged, sometimes aloof; nonetheless, I still remember how much he loved the school. We ran into Shane Battier on the quad and your dad just pulled up like he knew him and exchanged pleasantries. And then he says: "that guy is presidential material, they say." Later on, my dad took us all to visit Ward Setzer (the well-known naval architect based nearby). Fair enough my dad wanted to and was lucky enough to get in to see a yacht legend while he was in town (a rarity); but about 20 minutes into the meeting- your dad goes "T, you remember this is Jason's trip, don't you?" There was plenty more to do and see back on campus."

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What's the difference between India and China?

Speaking of India and having spent the last few days in New Delhi myself, I can't help but feel a great amount of optimism for India's future. In International Affairs India is slowly taking a more and more magnanimous stand towards Pakistan, for example taking steps to ease the enemy property act of 1968 (just this month), resuming bilateral talks (as of two months ago). It will grow 6% this year. It has an educated, youthful, English-speaking workforce. India is tangibly pulsing with energy, which means with simple knowledge transfer in the years to come huge population/ over time = inevitable earnings growth. And better late than never: infrastructure spend/financing/priorities are finally starting to come together.

Similarly, we could talk about the considerable wealth that Chinese companies have amassed, we could talk about the surge in number of scientific articles Chinese scientists have published, we could talk about the real innovation Chinese companies have made just in the last five or six years, whether in design or in delivery of services[iii]. To me, what makes China distinctive is China believes it should be great. 

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The Sounds of India, The Conceit of Hapa

This brings to mind a very Hapa notion. Here is Kip Fulbeck, the founder of the Hapa Project:

“identity is a personal process and i’m adamant that it should be a personal decision, not one made by a community, a government or others.”  

It is quintessentially Hapa to believe identity is a personal decision.

This is an idea I don't believe in. And after 5 days in India, in fact, I don't believe in it with even greater conviction. Indeed, India teaches us identity is way more than a "personal decision."

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Rowing as Bothness

Charles Eliot, the presiding Harvard President at the time said: “Rowing and Tennis are the only sports in which honorable play altogether is practiced. You can no more cheat in those two sports than in a game of cards; you would be crowded out of society if you tried.” 

Rowing is the gold standard, the ultimate in honest sports. Remember that you face backward in rowing. There is an unbelievable first mover advantage in a regatta (a race), for everyone other than the leader is blind as to where one stands. It is a team sport, yes but everyone must quite literally pull their weight. There is no hiding in rowing; if you fall behind the stroke count everyone will know. There is a pecking order on the boat- but then again everyone is equal. Pain can only be dealt with stoically, and the absolute worst thing you could ever contemplate is to stop rowing. There is nothing subjective about rowing. 

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